You do not need Portuguese to go to the cinema in Lisbon and Porto. You can pick a film in a language you know or a screening with English subtitles. What is more, a visit to an old cinema is also a way to get to know the history of the city. In Lisbon, the Cinemateca screens films in a former mansion with painted ceilings. At Batalha in Porto, before the film starts, you can look at frescoes that were once painted over on the censors’ orders. It also has a café and a bookshop. In autumn, festival screenings are added to the cinemas’ regular programmes. Here is what you can watch in Portugal, and where.
How do you know which language a film will be in?
The original version of a film is marked VO — Versão Original. That is the language the film was made in: English, French, Japanese or any other. VP — Versão Portuguesa — is a film in Portuguese or dubbed into Portuguese. If you understand the original language, you can choose VO.
For a film in a language you do not know, look for legendas em inglês or English subtitles. Legendas em português means Portuguese subtitles, and sem legendas means no subtitles.
The subtitle language can differ between screenings of the same film. So check the label on the screening you have chosen.
Where to watch the classics in Lisbon?
For the classics, go to the Cinemateca Portuguesa — the national film archive and film museum. Its programmes are built around a director, a country or a theme. That means you can see on the big screen a film that disappeared from regular release long ago.
The Cinemateca occupies a former mansion at Rua Barata Salgueiro, 39, next to Avenida da Liberdade. For almost a hundred years the building belonged to the Morais Carvalho family, and then the state acquired it. Inside, the stuccowork, the murals and the Arab-style decoration have survived. This is the place to go if you want to rewatch a favourite classic or get to know a particular director. In the Cinemateca programme you can choose a day and open the description of a film.
Where to go in Lisbon for new independent film?
To Cinema Ideal at Rua do Loreto, 15–17, by Praça Luís de Camões. Its history began in 1904. After restoration, the cinema reopened in 2014 and committed itself to independent film.
The programme has many European and Portuguese films, and there are screenings of classics and meetings with directors. It is an option for an evening in the centre: choose a film that the big chains rarely show, and then take a walk in Chiado.
Current screenings are listed in the Cinema Ideal ticketing system. During Doclisboa, a festival schedule with its own language arrangements applies here.
Where to watch festival premieres in Lisbon?
At Cinema São Jorge at Avenida da Liberdade, 175. The cinema opened in 1950. Its original auditorium held about two thousand people. Among its technical novelties was an electric organ that rose onto the stage from the basement.
Later the space was divided into several auditoriums. Today it hosts film screenings, festivals, concerts and other events. So before going to see a film, it is better to open the São Jorge listings first and choose a specific programme.
During a festival, a screening may be accompanied by a meeting with the filmmakers.
Where to watch Portuguese film with English subtitles in Porto?
At Batalha Centro de Cinema at Praça da Batalha, 47. It shows films from different eras and hosts retrospectives and festivals. The Batalha calendar has a Filter by Accessibility option. Choose English subtitles to see the screenings that suit you.
Batalha makes a point of saying that Portuguese films are often shown here with English subtitles.
The film centre is housed in a building from the 1940s. The frescoes by Júlio Pomar in the foyer depict the festival of São João — the feast of St John. Under the Estado Novo dictatorship they were painted over on the censors’ orders. The frescoes were restored during the renovation, and visitors can see them again. Batalha reopened in 2022.
You can combine a film here with a coffee in the café or a visit to the bookshop or the library. In the library, books and magazines can be read on site. So for an evening at Batalha it is worth leaving some time before the screening too.
Where to go in Porto for new releases?
To Cinema Trindade at Rua do Almada, 412. It shows arthouse and independent film, as well as selected films from the big studios. The Trindade listings have a day-by-day schedule, film pages and a link to buy a ticket.
The cinema opened in 1913 as Salão Jardim da Trindade. At the time the complex had a café, billiards and a terrace. Later it was rebuilt several times; in 2000 it closed. In 2017 Trindade reopened with two auditoriums. You can read this history on the cinema’s website.
It is a convenient place to go for a new film in the city centre. English subtitles, however, need to be confirmed for the specific screening.
How to watch festival film if you do not know Portuguese?
Doclisboa screenings take place at Culturgest, São Jorge, the Cinemateca and Cinema Ideal. The festival runs from 15 to 25 October. It is devoted to documentary film, including films that combine documentary and fiction techniques. Over a few evenings you can watch different films and get to know several venues.
For an English-speaking viewer, the festival’s rules are convenient. According to the Doclisboa FAQ, almost all films are shown with English and Portuguese subtitles. If the dialogue is in Portuguese, say, it will be subtitled in English. Rare exceptions are possible, so it is worth checking the language information on the film’s page.
Start with the programme: choose a theme that interests you, then a screening and a venue. You can buy a separate ticket for a single screening. Cinema Ideal has one particular rule: tickets are sold online only up to the day before the screening. On the day itself they have to be bought at the box office. The conditions and links are gathered on the Doclisboa venues and tickets page.
In Porto, Porto/Post/Doc also lets you combine discovering films with discovering the city’s venues. The festival runs from 19 to 28 November. Its programme features documentary film and films on the border between documentary and fiction. The festival also turns to music and contemporary culture. Language and subtitles need to be checked in the festival programme.
